Council schedules hearing on proposed retail ban of cats, dogs and rabbits; advocates cite puppy-mill pipeline

The council moved to schedule a public hearing on Aug. 20, 2025 to consider an amendment to chapter 37 that would prohibit retail stores from selling cats, dogs and rabbits in the borough. The public safety committee recommended the hearing by a 3–0 vote.

Ariel Lefkowitz, a public policy specialist with the Stop Puppy Mills campaign at Humane World for Animals, addressed council during the meeting and described the intent of the ordinance: to block the pipeline that funnels animals from large-scale breeders into retail outlets. "The ordinance is preventative," Lefkowitz said, explaining that many breed clubs and responsible breeders do not sell through third parties and that rescues and shelters would still be able to showcase animals in stores as long as the actual transaction — adoption or sale — occurs at the rescue or breeder’s licensed location.

Council members asked whether licensed breeders could legally transact on-site if a pet store sought to sell animals. Staff and the advocate said the ordinance is commonly written so that breeders may transfer animals from the premises where they were bred and raised, but a third-party retail sale would be prohibited; rescues would still be able to host adoption events but would complete placement paperwork at their licensed shelter. Councilors requested legal guidance from the solicitor about any free-enterprise or constitutional concerns and noted that a number of Pennsylvania municipalities already have similar ordinances — Ariel Lefkowitz cited 13 localities including Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Allentown and Doylestown that have passed comparable measures. The council placed the item on the discussion agenda to receive solicitor input at the next meeting.